Those who provide food, shelter and medical care to Nashville’s homeless are reconsidering their approach. A new model outlined at a community meeting today would target the city’s most vulnerable, and most costly homeless residents, and put them in permanent housing.
Will Connelly, who does homeless outreach in Nashville, says most services have been offered on a first come, first serve basis. Now, providers are opting for a “vulnerability index” which targets those in the worst health who’ve been on the streets the longest. Connelly says it could save the city in the long-run since a small number of homeless people consume a majority of the services.
“People that use hospital services the most or use emergency services the most or go to jail, those types of things will offset cost and even more help us make the argument for permanent, supportive housing.”
Mental health provider Park Center is already using the vulnerability index on a small scale. When word came from Metro Police that they were going to shut down the Tent City off Hermitage Avenue, outreach workers surveyed the 35 residents to rank them for housing placements. They plan a city-wide survey at the first of November.
WEB EXTRA:
Even with the new rankings, the most vulnerable homeless will have few housing options. There are only a couple dozen units dedicated to the homeless. Some could qualify for Section-8 vouchers, but felony convictions often disqualify applicants.
However, the outreach workers hope collecting data on homeless individuals and outlining the critical need will create political will for funding more permanent housing units in Nashville. The model has seen some success in New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans. The non-profit Common Ground came up with the vulnerability index and has been sharing the results with service providers throughout the country, including Nashville.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM